Is that a ferret in your pants? Police say Fla. man nearly got away with shoplifting $129 pet

Cops: Fla. man stole ferret by shoving it in pants

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — It’s one thing for shoplifters to hide plunder in their pants. But a live ferret? Police said a homeless man in north Florida did just that. And he made it out the door before being challenged. Rodney Bolton, 38, was charged with theft over the $129 animal that police say he took from a pet store in Jacksonville Beach.

A 17-year-old witness confronted Bolton in the parking lot and was bitten by the animal after the man allegedly shoved it in the teen’s face.

That confrontation makes the ferret a “special weapon” under Florida law. So Bolton also faces battery charges for dangerously wielding the animal.

Calls to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department to see if Bolton has a lawyer were not answered early Thursday.

Information from: The Florida Times-Union, www.jacksonville.com